Scarlet's Wonderland
by Kayas Hosaki
Summary: In a dark twisted world where abyss rules, Scarlet the red queen must delve into the madness of wonderland to strive for allies in her quest to obtain her crown and scepter. But first she must seize her throne by conquering the red court; only for her to race against her greatest rival... the white queen.
1. Chapter 1

A girl that looked like she was six years old stood in the door way of a dark room looking unsure and conflicted. Taking a deep breath she walked quietly toward a huge desk covered with tools and various woods and cloths and a bright lamp shining down on an indistinguishable figure, casting a daunting shadow toward the girl's direction. She hesitated briefly when she came close to the shadow of the hunched figure, her face troubled with worry. At last, she stood in front of the shadow's master.

"Papa"the girl whispered.

He looked at her, unfocused, still absorb with his work and his face clouded with confusion trying to figure out who she was. Finally recognizing his daughter, he smiled down at her and turned his full attention toward her and takes her small hands and looked at her pale face with sad brown eyes and blond hair, the image of a perfect doll.

"What's the problem, Scarlet? Don't you like your new doll?" he asked.

Scarlet glanced down to her doll she was holding and nodded slowly but replied in a troubled voice, "I love the doll, papa… but I'm tired of them, Papa, nobody in town plays with me."

The father thought thoughtfully of his daughter dilemma," This is indeed a grave problem."

He looked down at his work table, sighing tiredly as he thought back to when he moved to this new town with a girl without her mother but only his reputation as a doll maker. A reputation which people fear he used dark magic to create dolls to look uncannily like a human. The father gazed back to Scarlet as he mulled over for a solution.

Finally, he said in a low voice," Tomorrow, wait till tomorrow and I will lead you to a world for you to play in and to your friends."

The girl jumped with delight at his solution and ran up to hug her father. The father opened his arms to receive her hug and smiled down at her without warmth and a dark, cold look fogged over his eyes.

The next morning, Scarlet waited inside the family room, pacing back and forth impatiently for her father, she looked up just in time to see her father emerging out of his room. She ran up to him and grabbed his hand and he led her toward a door she never saw before. He produced a small golden key and inserted it in, and the wall in front of them opened slowly.

Scarlet jumped back in surprise but her father only held her hand tightly and said, "Don't worry Scarlet; this will lead you to your kingdom."

And guided her to a small room that was dimly lighted, he pressed a mysterious button and the door closed slowly and they begin to move down. Scarlet stood restless for what she thought was forever; standing beside her father as the room continues it's descended. Her father only responds to her impulsive action, still facing the wall,

"Be patient, Scarlet, the ride will soon be over."

Scarlet stayed still to please her father but within a minute she begin to fidget again and walked around the room. Suddenly, the room slowed to a stop and the door opened in front of them.

He guided her forward and stoops down to face her and said, "Scarlet, this is where I must say goodbye. Go toward that light and begin your adventure."

He stood up abruptly and walked back toward the room. Scarlet looked back at her father, frighten by his sudden change of personality, and begin to follow him but her legs didn't seemed to move fast enough to catch up with him and the wall were already closing in front of her. Scarlet reached the wall as she sees her father looking through the narrow gap of the closing wall, smiling cruelly down at her. Scarlet screamed and begged to go back with him and she begin to pound on the wall and tried to pry open the wall until her hands begin to bleed and her nails started to crack.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Scarlet sobbed quietly beside the wall, still hoping her father would return for her but she knew deep down in her heart that he wouldn't return for her and she was all alone in the dark.

A noise startled Scarlet to look up, she turn her head fearfully around in the dark as she heard scratching and scribbling noise surrounding her. Scarlet stood up in panic and glanced around wildly. She was scared of the dark, like every six year old was, but she was even more afraid of what the darkness hides. Scarlet screamed in fear when she felt something darting between her feet and ran blindly in the dark. She kept running till her lungs were burning. Scarlet gasped for air as she recalled her father's last words to her and opened her eyes to scan for a way out, seeing a light toward her right, Scarlet sprints toward it to run away from the darkness and its' monsters.

She emerged out of cave, to be blinded by sunlight; and the sound of rustling grass and music greet her and smelled the sweet fragrance of flowers. Scarlet opens her eyes timidity, to see she was surrounded by flowers of all kind and a path leading toward a town in the distance. She looked closely at a flower and noticed it was singing and swaying slightly in the wind like it was dancing, She laugh at the flowers' comical dance, almost beginning to forget her experience in the cave, until she felt a sharp pain course through her hand. Scarlet glanced down at her hands in pain; her hand throbbed with pain and her fingers were dripping blood on the ground. She looked at the town in the distance and thought to herself," Maybe I can find help in the town and a doctor." While Scarlet was walking she noticed that the ground was unusually hard but looked soft and lush from a distance and there was a small, gray full moon that seemed to follow her.

Scarlet entered the town when the sun was at its highest peak. She saw women wearing big dress of warm color and men wearing black coattails walking on sidewalks, carriages driven by horses on the dirty cobblestone road and orphans and beggars struggle for space to beg on the sidewalk while sinister shapes shadowed behind them in the dark alleys. A busy crowd walked along the carriages, hurrying to their destination.

A girl her age wearing a bright yellow dress stood beside a lamppost looking around, as if looking for someone; the girl notice's her and skipped toward her cheerfully."Hello princess, Welcome to Solea. My name is Lily and your guide through the city" she said brightly." Scarlet looked at Lily for a moment still overwhelm by the sights of the city but beginning to get over her shock, "I want a doctor and I need a change of clothes now!" Scarlet screamed. "Of course, but first I need to introduce you to the mayor and all of the nobles" Lily rambles on, and begins to talk about the etiquette and protocols of meeting the nobles, Scarlet tried to be patient but grew angrier by the minute and couldn't stand Lily's droning voice any longer and pushed her lightly out of anger. Lily lost her balanced and fell in the way of a carriage that was speeding toward her. The horse reared up in fright and pawed the air angrily while Lily shirked for help but her scream was cut off when the wheels of the carriage ran over her fragile body with a sharp snap of bones breaking.

The townspeople momentarily stop to look at Lily curiously but nobody came to help her or to check if she was alive. The driver of the carriage stopped to look back but a voice in the carriage, ordered "Keep driving, I'm already late!" The driver hastily whips the horse to move forward.

Scarlet warily walked toward Lily. She lay on the ground struggling to breathe and frantically whisper for help and was only occasionally interpret when she coughed wetly and blood sprayed from her mouth, her rib cage was shatter and her bones had pierce her lungs. Scarlet gasped in horror, "I'm-m-m s-s-s-sorry… I-I-I didn't mean to push you… you fell down on your own… It wasn't my fault" Scarlet stammered out. Lily turned her head slightly to look hard at Scarlet, her eyes burning with accusation of whose fault it was," Don't look at me like that, it wasn't my fault, it was your fault that you were dumb enough to trip, you should have just lead me to a doctor instead of talking about meeting some dumb nobles of yours. This wouldn't have happen if you had only listened to me." Scarlet screamed in anger.

She suddenly looked up to see a woman softly crying on the shoulder of a man beside her. When the man saw her looking, he nudged her and she looked up in panic and quickly wiped her tears and a blank look stole over her face. The townspeople slowly started to walk and went on to their business again.

Scarlet looked down at Lily, her breath growing more ragged and her eyes dimming quickly. She looked at Lily one final time and stood up and walked away from Lily, without turning back once.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Scarlet walked toward a white building that somebody pointed out was a hospital. She entered a rectangular room that was lighted mainly by sunlight, streaming from the windows and a few lamps and candles were placed to chase away the darkness but shadows stubbornly sprouted around the corners. The room had a few benches and tables on one side of the wall and dirty toys were scattered in front of them. There were a few painting of previews doctor opposite of the benches but the room was sparsely furniture. A woman sitting on the front table facing the entrance looked up with a smile but looked back down quickly when she saw Scarlet. Scarlet looked around the room with disdain at the grey walls and saw a feeble mother trying to comfort a too pale crying baby and an old man coughing into a blood stain handkerchief.

She walked toward a door that was labeled doctor; a man wearing a black coat looked up with an annoyed expression but seeing who it was, stood up cautiously and said to his current patient, "Mr. Gladestone, could you wait outside". The man looked up to the doctor to object but the doctor only motioned him to turn around. He looked behind and nodded resignedly when he glanced at Scarlet. He got from his seat and walk out of the office.

Scarlet sat down in a haughty manner and without a word raised her hands for the doctor's examination. The doctor sat down carefully and gazed at her hand and stood up again to get a roll of bandage and some ointment. He gently rubbed the ointment on her hands and tightly wrapped each of her fingers. "Your hands will heal in two weeks but wait an extra week before you remove the bandages." He said in a neutral voice. Scarlet nodded her thanks and walked out of the room.

She was walking toward the exit when in the corner of her eye she saw a glistering crescent shaped smile from one of the corner's shadows. Scarlet turned around in curiously but the smile was gone. Scarlet closed in on the shadow for further examination but turned up empty in her search.

She left the hospital and walked up toward a fruit stand, slowly reaching for a fruit; the fruit stand owner saw her but only gave Scarlet a thin smile. Scarlet continued to explore the town and took what she needed from the stores and shops she encountered. She got a new dress for herself and discards her old dress on the ground.

Scarlet looked up toward the sky to figured out the time of day it was and noticed strangely she couldn't see the small, gray full moon that had accompanied her to Solea. Scarlet approached a building with a sign showing a sun rising behind an oak tree. She knocked on the door." Let me in, I demand a room" Scarlet commanded, waiting for the door to open. She heard scurrying movement and waited "Let me in now or I'm going to… I'm going to." Scarlet tried to come up with something but finally stomped off in anger and walked toward a man to demand for hospitality. "For tonight I will honor your household by staying at your house and-"Scarlet was cut off as the man brushed past her and continued to walk away.

Scarlet looked at the man with surprise. She started to walk toward him but found it difficult when the crowd around her constantly shove pasted her and knocking her down. She looked around in confusion and spotted a girl her age walking past her. Scarlet grabbed her and demanded, "What's going on? Why are you ignoring me?" The girl only looked at her with a dazed look. Scarlet's arms dropped to her side in dismay and the girl brushed past her to go back to her family. Scarlet screamed and demanded for attention. She kicked pasting people for a reaction Scarlet sat down in an ally in despair and looked at the pasting people, hoping someone would reach out and help her.


End file.
